Adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display

ABSTRACT

An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method and system are described that continuously looks for a specified physical action of a driver operating the vehicle and, upon determining that the specified physical action of the driver has occurred, automatically effects a change to at least one widget in the instrument panel display of the vehicle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to motor vehicles and, more particularly, toinstrument panels for motor vehicles.

BACKGROUND

The instrument panel is an important part of a motor vehicle because itcontinuously conveys information to the driver about aspects of thevehicle's operation.

Originally, vehicle instruments (e.g., gauges, dials and warning lights)were purely mechanical and/or analog and fixed in place.

More commonly now, instrument panels are implemented as a form ofdigital computer screen containing software-implemented graphicmanifestations (called “widgets”) of vehicle-related instruments (e.g.,speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, etc.) and warnings (e.g., “checkengine,” door(s) ajar, low tire pressure, etc.). With this switchoverfrom fixed displays, some vehicle manufacturers now allow drivers tocustomize the look and layout of their display to some extent, evenallowing different drivers of the same vehicle to have display contentand layout according to their own preference. This convenience featureis similar to allowing a vehicle to “remember” particular seat,mirror(s) and steering wheel positions for two different drivers, and torecall those saved positions with the touch of a button so that, withsome current instrument panels, users can likewise set their preferencesso that, for example, one driver can set a preference for thespeedometer to be in the center of the panel and not show a tachometer,whereas another user of the same vehicle can have the tachometerdisplayed in the center and the speedometer off to one side. While thisis a convenient advantage, it also inherently creates a problem.Specifically, because users can specify exactly what gauges orinformation they will normally see, and where they are located, thechosen configuration may, in some cases, prevent them from havinginformation they actually should have. While critical failureinformation (such as system failures that were commonly previouslyindicated with warning lights), e.g., “check engine,” low fuel or tirepressure, or a braking system failure, will be displayed irrespective ofuser setting, that is not true for non-critical, non-failure informationthat they nevertheless should seen by the driver under certaincircumstances.

Such displays can also more easily be obscured by bright light, such assunlight, impinging on them. Additionally, if the manufacturer allows adriver to change the display content, there is an elaborate process thatmust be undertaken to do so each time a change is desired, so makingtemporary changes is annoying and time consuming and even hazardous ifsuch a change is (or can be) attempted while driving.

Thus, the foregoing represents a case where a technological advance onthe one hand inherently creates a problem on the other.

SUMMARY

An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument displaymethod and system are described that continuously looks for a specifiedphysical action of a driver operating the vehicle and, upon determiningthat the specified physical action of the driver has occurred,automatically effects a change to at least one widget in the instrumentpanel display of the vehicle.

The foregoing and following outlines rather generally the features andtechnical advantages of one or more embodiments of this disclosure inorder that the following detailed description may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of this disclosure will be describedhereinafter, which may form the subject of the claims of thisapplication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This disclosure is further described in the detailed description thatfollows, with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of a vehicle 100 having multiplemonitor-able zones;

FIG. 2A illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of one exampleof a user-reconfigurable instrument panel display;

FIG. 2B illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display after it has been automatically modified totake into account the changed circumstances;

FIG. 2C illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display after it has been automatically modified;

FIG. 2D illustrates, in simplified form, a further representation of theinstrument panel display after it has been automatically modified;

FIG. 2E illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display after the fuel level becomes of primaryimportance;

FIG. 3 illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart of one exampleprocess for implementing the automatic pro-active modification of theinstrument panel display based upon changed circumstances;

FIG. 4 illustrates, in simplified form, a portion of the driver's sideof the interior of a passenger vehicle;

FIG. 5A illustrates, in simplified form, an example variant instrumentpanel display, its surrounding binnacle and a steering wheel, for asystem implementing grip-sensing and driver tracking aspects;

FIG. 5B illustrates, in simplified form, an example configuration ofwidgets in an instrument panel display corresponding to a leisuredriving condition in a system configured as shown in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C illustrates, in simplified form, an example of a sportconfiguration of widgets in an instrument panel display that mightreplace the leisure configuration of FIG. 5B;

FIG. 5D illustrates, in simplified form, the display of FIG. 5C as aresult of a driver squint and/or lean-in directed towards the enginetemperature gauge 212 of FIG. 5C;

FIG. 6 illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart of one exampleprocess for implementing the grip pressure and lean-in/squint process;

FIG. 7 illustrates, in simplified form, a driver's perspective of anexample of a vehicle dashboard and instrument panel display of a systemimplementing a widget obstruction avoidance approach;

FIG. 8 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display of FIG. 7 after the steering wheel has beenmoved up;

FIG. 9 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display of FIG. 8 resulting from the change inimportance values;

FIG. 10 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display of FIG. 7 immediately after the driver hasmoved the steering wheel and placed their phone on the dashboard;

FIG. 11 illustrates, in simplified form, an alternative example avehicle dashboard and instrument panel display identical to that of FIG.10 except this vehicle also includes a secondary display;

FIG. 12 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display of FIG. 7 that is temporarily partiallyobstructed;

FIG. 13 illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart of one exampleprocess for implementing the widget obstruction handling process;

FIG. 14 illustrates, in simplified form, an in-vehicle system 1400implementing the operation and processes of any of the variantsdescribed herein; and

FIG. 15 illustrates, in simplified form, an enlarged portion of thesystem of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure provides technical solutions to address theaforementioned problems. Specifically, through the use of varioussensors, instrument panels configured according to one of the approachesherein will dynamically reconfigure and adapt to user actions and/orother circumstances.

In simplified general overview, our approach addresses the foregoingproblems with a technical solution that uses input from various sensorsrelating to various combinations of external, internal and/or vehiclefactors to identify components of a vehicle display that have importanceunder the then-current circumstances and/or conditions and automaticallymodify the display so that the relevant information is provided to theuser so they can monitor the circumstances and/or conditions before afailure occurs or so that a situation that could lead to a failure canbe avoided.

FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of a vehicle 100 having multiplemonitor-able zones. Virtually all newer vehicles, particularly cars, areequipped with numerous sensors, located in different zones 102, 104,106, 108, 110, 112 of the vehicle 100, that are involved in monitoringvarious aspects of a vehicle's operation and health.

Such sensors may include, for example, well known prior art sensors:

A) in the front-most zone 102 of FIG. 1, related to the operation of theengine, cooling system, lubrication system, the headlights, forvibration detection, and parts of the pollution control and steeringsystems;

B) in the wheel zone 104 of FIG. 1, related to the tire inflationpressure, brake system, wheel speed, wheel alignment and possibly thesuspension system;

C) in the passenger compartment/chassis zone 106 of FIG. 1, related tointerior temperature, interior lighting, sound level, steering, doorsand windows state, vehicle attitude (i.e., roll, pitch, yaw, heave, swayand surge), noise, vibration and seat occupancy;

D) in the rear zone 108 of FIG. 1, related to fuel level, exhaust andrear lights (e.g., brake, reverse and tail lights); and

E) in the exterior central zone 110 of FIG. 1, related to thetransmission and exhaust system.

In addition, some vehicles 100 may include sensors 112, to detectvehicle-external circumstances such as, exterior temperature andprecipitation, and/or that act as receivers to receive trafficinformation, weather reports and/or location information (e.g., GPS,SatNav, etc.).

Although such sensors may be located in different zones for differentvehicles, they may generally include, for example, well knowntachometers for engine speed, sensors for coolant level and temperature,oil temperature and level, throttle position sensors,ammeter(s)/voltmeters (i.e., for the battery and charging systemhealth), vehicle speed, tire inflation, wheel slip sensors, steeringangle and/or torque, suspension travel, fuel tank contents level,traction control, thermometer(s), microphone(s) to detect noise, 3- or6-axis (“multi-axis”) sensors to detect vehicle orientation changes,accelerometer(s), oxygen and/or other gas sensors to measure engineexhaust and intake air, etc.

When a fault in some part of the vehicle is detected by one or more ofthe foregoing sensors, the engine control unit or other processor(s) inthe vehicle will cause that fault to be indicated in some manner in thedashboard instrument panel display, typically according to ISO standardISO 2575:2010 entitled “Road vehicles—Symbols for controls, indicatorsand tell-tales.” However, display of those indicators and/or tell-talesresults purely from a failure or, with the exception of a low fuelwarning, some other non-predictive condition that then-exists. Thosesensors are not used, individually, let alone collectively, to predictor anticipate a situation that could result in a failure in the nearfuture if persistent or should be indicated to the driver as noteworthy.Still further, when indicators are provided, they are generallydisplayed in a fixed location. Even in the newest vehicles, wherevehicle users have the ability to modify where certain particular visualelements are located in the graphical display (e.g., the speedometerand/or tachometer), placement of the warnings or tell-tales and otherdisplay elements are typically fixed in a location specified by thevehicle manufacturer irrespective of the vehicle user's changed layout.

While the foregoing may be fine for indicating actual failureconditions, such an approach is unsuitable if the intent is to predictor anticipate a situation because, as circumstances change, the variousdisplay elements may become more or less relevant even though a failurecondition never arises. For a predictive or anticipatory system capableof making decisions based upon combinations of sensor readings, adynamic, self re-configuring instrument panel, is needed. Such a systemis described herein an uses input from a combination of sensors torecognize in-car and environmental problems and it will modify thedisplay of widgets representing the displayed elements (e.g.speedometer, oil temperature/pressure, engine temperature, fuel gauge,etc.) to inform the driver as the situation warrants, dynamically andautomatically in real time. Moreover, some variants of the system canuse externally provided information, for example, weather, traffic orGPS/SatNav information, in conjunction with the sensor data to modifythe display. Depending upon the particular implementation and vehicle,different combination(s) of sensor information may indicate differentpotential situations. Thus, the system will be constructed with at leastone processor and associated programming that will receive informationobtained via the sensors, analyze it, and determine if it is indicativeof a change in circumstances and/or conditions for that vehicle. Sincethe number of permutations and combinations of potential readings can bequite large, and different sets of sensors can be used to identify thesame circumstance or condition, we will provide some real-life examplesof how our system works because, with that understanding, constructionof programming to analyze sensor data and proactively identifycircumstances or conditions that could result based upon that data canbe implemented in a straightforward manner.

For these examples, presume a user with a reconfigurable instrumentpanel display initially specifies that the display should containwidgets for only the main elements typically found in an analogdashboard, e.g., speedometer, fuel gauge, and odometer.

In light of the above background, our system will now be discussed,first with reference to the end result of the operation of our system,and then with how the system accomplishes that end result.

FIG. 2A illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of one exampleof a user-reconfigurable instrument panel display 200 configured by itsuser to contain only the speedometer widget 202, fuel gauge widget 204,odometer widget 206 and radio station widget 208 display elements.

While the configuration of FIG. 2A may be suitable for most of theuser's typical driving, presume the user goes driving in the mountains.In that case, during the drive, input to the system from the varioussensors might initially cause the system to determine that the vehicleis going uphill for longer than some threshold amount of time, in lowgear, and that the exterior surrounding temperature is about 85 degrees.Thus, the system will determine that engine speed (RPMs), enginetemperature, oil pressure and fuel usage should be of primary concern,and speed and total mileage is of negligible concern. This is because,during an uphill climb, the driving in a lower gear will cause theengine to rev higher to maintain speed, thereby taxing the engine more(causing it to run hotter). As a result, the driver should be monitoringthe information provided by the gauges that are determined to be moreimportant—and the system will automatically take action in that regard.FIG. 2B illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display 200 after it has been automatically modified totake into account the changed circumstances just described.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the system described herein has,automatically, and without any other action by the user, modified thedisplay 200 to, in this case, remove the speedometer 202 and odometer206 widgets and insert new widgets, namely, a tachometer widget 210 (forengine RPMs), an engine (coolant) temperature gauge widget 212, and anoil pressure gauge widget 214, while moving the current radio stationwidget 208 to a less prominent position because the radio is on at thattime. Moreover, to fit the new widgets, the fuel gauge widget 204 hasbeen resized. As noted above, this is because the tachometer widget 210,engine (coolant) temperature gauge widget 212, and oil pressure gaugewidget 214 have been determined by the system to be more “important”than the speedometer 202 and odometer 206 widgets.

Now, presume that while continuing the drive, the elevation changeresults in the input to the system from the sensors that indicate theexterior temperature has dropped considerably to 31 degrees (as canhappen in the mountains) and the climb has changed from a series ofsteep uphill sections of road, to a series of smaller inclines withacute turns in between (often referred to as “switchbacks”). Since thesystem is constantly monitoring the input from the various sensors, itdetermines that the circumstances have meaningfully changed again andthat, as a result, the instrument panel display 200 must change as well.

FIG. 2C illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display 200 after it has been automatically modified totake into account the new change in circumstances.

Specifically, the tachometer 210 of FIG. 2B is now less important, dueto the change in grade of the roads, and the engine (coolant)temperature 212 and oil pressure 214 of FIG. 2B are no longer consideredrelevant because the engine is not being taxed nearly as much. However,as a result of the sensor inputs, the system determines that thecircumstances of the change in external temperature makes thepossibility of sliding or skidding more likely. Indeed, theaccelerometer, multi-axis, wheel and/or transmission sensor(s) may haveeven detected some sliding (sway and/or surge) or loss of traction. As aresult, as shown in FIG. 2C, the system has determined a change inwidget importance and, as a result, added an anti-lock braking systemwidget 214, a traction control system widget 216 and a widget 218 toshow the external temperature, in order to keep the driver informed ofthe changed circumstances and more relevant information. In addition,since the importance of the speedometer widget 202 and fuel gauge widget204 is still present (or the user's preference for those widgets canstill be accommodated) a different style and/or size speedometer widget202 a and fuel gauge widget 204 a have displayed, and, in the case ofthe fuel gauge 204 a, it has been moved in order to fit the new widgets214, 216, 218. Again, all of this happens automatically, anddynamically, in response to data received by the system from one or moreof the sensors so that the most important information under thecircumstances is displayed.

Now, presume that the driver keeps going, crests the mountain and beginsto descend in elevation. by continually monitoring its input from thesensors, the system determines from the sensor inputs that thetemperature has risen to about 40 degrees, and the vehicle iscontinually descending.

FIG. 2D illustrates, in simplified form, a representation of theinstrument panel display 200 after it has been automatically modified totake into account this change in circumstances. As a result, as shown inFIG. 2D, the anti-lock brake system (ABS) widget 214 and the tractioncontrol (TC) system 216 although still relevant, become less so, and sotheir size is reduced in the instrument panel display 200. However, dueto the high engine speed and low gear used to climb the mountain andlength of time needed to do so, the system has determined that thevehicle has burned a significant amount of fuel such that refueling isadvisable. Note here that, with some implementations, GPS input mayoptionally be used to augment the determination because, for example,there may be a gas station nearby then, and the next gas station may beat a distance approaching the remaining range of the vehicle asthen-determined. As a result, the fuel gauge has been replaced by a lowfuel indicator warning widget 220 to prominently inform the driver ofthis circumstance. In addition, the system recognizes that the extremechanges in both temperature and elevation caused an issue with the tireinflation pressure. As a result, a tire pressure level indicator widget222 becomes important and, thus, is prominently added to the instrumentpanel display 200 in a location reflecting its importance. In order tomake room for the tire pressure level indicator widget 222. However, itis not possible to merely add that widget 222 while maintaining theother widgets 218, 222 with their size and positions of importanceunchanged. As a result, the system determines that the externaltemperature widget 218 is less important and can be retained in itspresent location if it is reduced in size, and thus, reduces the size ofthe external temperature widget 218 to make room for the size andplacement of the tire pressure level indicator widget 222 as shown.

Finally, presume that the driver ignores the low fuel warning indicatorwidget 220 of FIG. 2D and continues to drive. Some time thereafter, whenthe fuel level is very low, that becomes of primary importance and sothe system automatically replaces all of the gauge widgets of FIG. 2D,except the speedometer widget 202 a, with a “RESERVE Fuel Warning” 220 ato inform the driver that they are into the reserve and must refuel assoon as possible. FIG. 2E illustrates, in simplified form, arepresentation of the instrument panel display 200 after the fuel levelbecomes of primary importance.

Note here that only the existence of fuel warning notification isconventional but such warning has never been coupled with modificationof the location of the fuel-related widget within the instrument paneldisplay 200. In addition, all of the other changes were based uponnon-failure changes in circumstances (i.e., they were pro-active changesthat inherently notify the driver of a possible future concern basedupon present changing conditions) as a reflection of their potentialimportance.

FIG. 3 illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart 300 of one exampleprocess for implementing the automatic pro-active modification of theinstrument panel display based upon changed circumstances.

In conjunction with the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is to be understood thateach widget that could be displayed in the instrument panel display 200has an associated priority value that reflects the current priority ofthat widget relative to every other widget that can be displayed in theinstrument panel display 200. That value reflects the current“importance” of the widget as determined by the system, irrespective ofwhere and whether that widget is currently displayed in the instrumentpanel display 200 or a user's display preference settings. With thisexample implementation variant, the system uses the values to determinewhether and where a given widget should be displayed in the instrumentpanel display 200, typically based upon comparison with a presetthreshold value that determines whether a given widget is displayed ornot). Initially, when the vehicle is turned on, the values are set suchthat the factory, dealer, or user specified widgets are the only onesthat satisfy the display threshold requirement and, thus, appear in theinstrument panel display 200 (i.e., they have the requisite importancevalues). Thereafter, receipt and analysis of the readings from thesensors will be used to modify the importance values to reflect adifferent priority for the widgets and thereby effect changes to theinstrument panel display 200. With the foregoing in mind, the processwill now be described.

After initial start, the process 300 begins with the system continuallymonitoring the sensors and widgets currently in the instrument paneldisplay 200. This involves checking the outputs of the sensors input tothe system to determine whether a condition has changed (Step 302).Specifically, this is done by recording the values from the sensors ateach reading and with each new reading, comparing the new values withthe prior values and/or some threshold value, or using the new valueswith some old values to detect a trend over some period of time (inabsolute terms or relative to some threshold), and storing the newvalues. Depending upon the particular implementation, sensors andsituations, the comparison may require analysis of a series of readingsover time to make a determination, for example, to detect a temperaturetrend, incline change over time or fuel usage rate, not just the mostrecent reading against the immediately prior one, for example, anelectrical system sensor.

If those values do not indicate a change in conditions, the systemchecks whether any instrument panel display widget has been added to thedisplay 200, removed from the display 200 or moved to a new location inthe display 200 (Step 304). If not, the process continues and loops backto Step 302.

In either case, if the input from the sensors indicates that theconditions did change, or if a widget was manually changed, the widgetimportance values are changed to reflect that change (Step 306). Thenthe system orders the widget according to the new importance values(Step 308) and checks whether any un-displayed widgets had a change inordering (i.e., based upon importance value(s)) that requires display ofany previously non-displayed widget(s) (Step 310). If not, the processreturns to the loop that starts with Step 302.

If however, any previously un-displayed widgets now need to bedisplayed, the system checks whether there are any display “slots”available (Step 312). Note here that display “slots” are merely areas ofsufficient size for the widget to be added without effecting any change,other than potentially movement of location, to any currently displayedwidget, and irrespective of whether some rearrangement is necessary.Note further that, in general, display slots are denoted such that theslots closest to the center of the instrument panel display 200 receivethe most important widgets and the slots farthest from the center of theinstrument panel display 200 are where the lowest importance displayedwidgets are located.

If a sufficient display slot is available, then the widget is added tothe display based upon its importance value (Step 314), which may alsoinvolve moving one or more of the currently displayed widgets to somenew location(s), and the process returns to the beginning of themonitoring loop (Steps 302).

If, however, there are no display slots available, the system checkswhether there are any lower importance widgets currently displayed inthe instrument panel display 200 (Step 316). If there are lowerimportance widgets currently displayed, the system determines whetherthe lowest importance widget(s) can be removed to create sufficientspace for the new widget(s) to be displayed, for example, because one ormore may no longer be relevant under the changed circumstances (Step318). If one or more can be removed to provide sufficient space, thenthe lower importance widget(s) will be removed (Step 320) and the newwidget is added to the display based upon its importance value (Step314), which, as noted above, may also involve moving one or more of thecurrently displayed widgets to some new location(s). Again, the processreturns to the beginning of the monitoring loop (Steps 302).

If, as a result of determining whether there are lower importancewidgets currently displayed (Step 316) or if the lowest importancewidget(s) cannot be removed under the circumstances (Step 318), then thesystem determines whether any of the widgets can be resized to allow thenew widget(s) to fit (Step 322).

Depending upon the particular implementation, it should be understoodthat the resizing may involve replacing a widget with a different sizeof the same widget, actually shrinking the size of the widget, orreplacing the widget with a different configuration or shape that may ormay not be smaller but conveys the same or sufficiently analogousinformation. For example, a large essentially rectangular widget thatdisplays a speedometer as a swept dial, might be shrunk down in size, orit might be replaced with a round dial shaped speedometer widget, oreven a numerical speedometer representation.

If the displayed widget(s) can be resized, they are, typically byresizing the lowest importance widgets first and continuing untilsufficient space is available (Step 324). Once there is sufficient spaceto accommodate the new widget(s) to display, the new widget is added tothe display based upon its importance value (Step 314) which, again asnoted above, may involve moving one or more of the currently displayedwidgets to some new location(s). Finally, the process returns to thebeginning of the monitoring loop (Steps 302).

Having described the modification of a vehicle display with respect tochanges detect by certain sensors associated with the vehicle, itsoperation and performance under various circumstances, a further variantwill now be described that deals with sensors relating to driverdetection. Note here that this variant can be independently implementedor it can, in whole or part, be implemented in conjunction with thevariants previously described.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in simplified form, a portion 400 of the driver'sside of the interior of a passenger vehicle. With reference to FIG. 4,it is well known that many passenger vehicles available today allowdrivers to adjust the position of the steering wheel 402 up or down and,in some cases, towards or away from the driver as well. Likewise, thedriver's seat 404 can be moved towards or away from the gas/brake/clutchpedals 406, and in some cases also up or down, so that the driver canfind a configuration that suits their comfort and driving style.

Advantageously, by adding sensors 408 in the steering wheel 402, changesin the gripping force exerted by the driver for some period of time(e.g., a change from a relaxed grip with one hand to a tight grip ataround the 3 and 9 o'clock positions) can be used to detect a changefrom leisurely driving to sport-style driving and can trigger anautomatic change in the instrument panel display 200 from itsthen-current display to a pre-configured set of widgets that implement aset of sport gauges, for example, one or more of: speedometer,tachometer, current shift gear, lateral and longitudinal G-forces,acceleration rate, and/or lap timing, without any other actions on thepart of the driver. The opposite can also be implemented (e.g., a changefrom tight grip to relaxed grip effecting a change from a sport gaugeconfiguration to an alternative, more conventional, configuration ofgauges).

As a separate matter, in some cases, the moving and/or resizing ofinstruments as previously discussed can result in a particular widgetbeing re-located within the instrument panel display to a peripherallocation, even though the driver may actually be interested in theinformation that widget is providing, such that the driver keepsdiverting their eyes to it. Alternatively or additionally, by addingadditional sensors 410 in the instrument display panel binnacle 412and/or into instrument display panel itself that are directed towardsthe driver, the driver's pupils can be tracked such that, if a driverrepeatedly looks at a particular gauge more than a specified number oftimes within a given time window or for longer than a specified periodof time within a given time window (an individual look or as anaggregate of multiple looks) the widget for that gauge can betemporarily moved to a more prominent/centralized position within theinstrument panel display 200.

Likewise, it is possible that the shrinking of an individual gauge, orcertain lighting conditions, can result in a given gauge being difficultto see such that the driver may squint to see it. Advantageously, thesensors 410 that are directed towards the driver can be used to detectdriver “squinting” and/or “leaning in” towards the instrument paneldisplay and, in conjunction with pupil tracking, identify and enlargethe widget for the instrument of interest and, optionally with someimplementation variants, if bright light is a factor, modify thebrightness and/or contrast of the instrument panel display.

At this point it should be noted that the identification and tracking offacial expressions (e.g., squinting and/or facial movement), and pupiltracking, use known techniques such as described in, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 8,094,122, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 8,988,519 both incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety, in addition to Moore et al.,“Multi-View Pose and Facial Expression Recognition” Proceedings of theBritish Machine Vision Conference (2010), Nguyen et al., “TrackingFacial Features under Occlusions and Recognizing Facial Expressions inSign Language” Proceedings of the Conference on Face & GestureRecognition FG2008, pp. 1-7 (2008), and Kapoor et al., “Fully AutomaticUpper Facial Action Recognition” IEEE International Workshop on Analysisand Modeling of Faces and Gestures (October 2003), to name a few. Sincethose or similar known techniques can be straightforwardly adapted foruse as described herein, in the interest of brevity the details are notdescribed herein.

FIG. 5A illustrates, in simplified form, an example variant instrumentpanel display 200, its surrounding binnacle 412 and a steering wheel402, for a system implementing grip-sensing and driver lean-in and/orsquint tracking aspects as just described.

As shown, the instrument panel display 200 includes multiple sensors 502in the display 200 that are used to perform one or more of pupiltracking, squinting or driver “lean-in” identification as describedabove. Likewise, or alternatively, the binnacle 412 can include thenecessary sensors 502, for example, in any of the locations indicated orsomewhere else within the binnacle 412 such as a portion 504 identifiedin FIG. 5A by angled cross-hatching. In still other variants, thesensors 502 can be located in some other appropriate location within thevehicle. Thus, while as shown in FIG. 5A, the sensors 502 are located invarious location within the display 200 and/or binnacle 412, it is to beunderstood that no particular number or location of sensors 502 isrequired. Rather, it is expected that different implementations, may usedifferent sensor placement and/or numbers to accomplish the pupiltracking, squinting or driver “lean-in” identification as describedabove.

The sensors 502 themselves can be any of a number of sensors (orcombination(s) thereof) including, for example, camera(s), infrared, orany other sensor(s) that can be used to identify the distance to anobject or for purposes of pupil tracking. Some examples of sensors andpupil tracking techniques using such sensors are described in, forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 8,185,845, U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,971 and U.S. Pat.Pub. No. 20100231504, incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

Similarly, the steering wheel 402 is equipped with resistive, capacitiveor other sensors located within at least an area 506 encompassingbetween the 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock positions on the right side of FIG.5A and the 7 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions on the left side of FIG.5A. The sensors are used to detect the driver's hand location and theirgrip pressure. The grip pressure is then compared to a threshold todetermine whether to change the display. Depending upon the particularimplementation, since the driver's grip will naturally vary during bothleisure and sport driving, and since the position of the driver's handsare not necessarily themselves indicative of leisure or sport driving, apresumption can be made, for example, that when both hands are at aboutthe 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions the driver intends sport drivingand if, in combination, the grip pressure meets a specified thresholdfor some period of time, the display will be changed. This may beaccomplished, for example, by averaging the measured grip pressureswithin a time window, by sampling grip pressure within a window, orother appropriate means and if the change is warranted, changing theimportance values such that the sport (i.e., grip-based) widgetconfiguration is displayed.

FIG. 5B illustrates, in simplified form, an example configuration ofwidgets in an instrument panel display corresponding to a leisuredriving condition in a system configured as shown in FIG. 5A. When thedriver grip location and pressure indicate a change to sport driving,the display, for example the display of FIG. 5B, will automaticallychange to a pre-configured sport widget configuration.

FIG. 5C illustrates, in simplified form, an example of a sportconfiguration of widgets in an instrument panel display that mightreplace the leisure configuration of FIG. 5B. As can be seen in FIG. 5C,certain gauges have been removed, others have been moved and/or resizedand a new gauge, a G-force gauge 508 has been added.

Presume that, for example, during the sport driving, the driver squintsat and/or leans-in towards the Engine temperature gauge 212 of FIG. 5C.Sensors such as shown in FIG. 5A can be used to detect that action andthe widget to which it is directed and the system will temporarilyenlarge (and possibly brighten, if the lighting level is high) thatwidget while temporarily moving and/or resizing other widget(s) asnecessary to accommodate that enlargement. FIG. 5D illustrates, insimplified form, the display of FIG. 5C as a result of a driver squintand/or lean-in directed towards the engine temperature gauge 212. Oncethe driver's look is no longer directed to that widget for somespecified period of time, the display will revert back, in this example,to the display of FIG. 5C. Note here that, while the squint/lean-inaspect is illustrated in conjunction with a sport display, that aspectcould be implemented such that it applies at any time, and in systemsthat do not implement grip sensing or a grip-based display change.

The foregoing process will now be described with reference to FIG. 6which illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart 600 of one exampleprocess for implementing the grip pressure and lean-in/squint processdescribed above.

The process starts with a loop of the system determining, using theappropriate sensors, whether a changed condition was indicated by one orboth of the steering wheel grip sensor(s) (506 of FIG. 5) or the driverlean-in/squint sensor(s) (Step 602). If no change was indicated theprocess loops back. If a changed condition was indicated, the systemdetermines whether the change was from the steering wheel grip sensor(s)that indicated gripping with both hands at approximately the 3 o'clockpositions and the 9 o'clock positions (Step 604). If not, then it ispresumed that the change was due to the lean-in/squint sensor(s). Usingthe appropriate interior sensor's within the vehicle, the system thenchecks whether the light level impinging on the display in the interioris high (Step 606). This is because the lean-in and/or squint may not bedue to the widget size, but rather due to the position of the sunshining into the vehicle. If the light level is high, the brightnessand/or contrast of the instrument panel display 200 (Step 608). If thelight level is not high, then no change to brightness and/or contrastwill be needed. Thereafter, in either case, the system will identify theparticular widget of interest using pupil tracking and temporarily move,enlarge or expand the widget of interest for some pre-specified timeperiod while, if necessary, shrinking other widgets to make room (Step610). Note, with many implementations, this will be accomplished withoutchanging the importance values for the impacted widgets, although, withsome implementations, the pre-change widget state can be stored and theimportance values temporarily changed to effect the changed display.Once the pre-specified time period has elapsed, the pre-change widgetstate can be restored to effect a change back.

However the widget change is effected, the modified configuration isthen displayed in the instrument panel display 200 (Step 612).

Returning back to Step 604, if the steering wheel grip sensor(s) didindicate gripping with both hands at approximately the 3 o'clockpositions and the 9 o'clock positions, the gripping force (over someperiod of time and/or number of samples) is compared to some thresholdvalue (step 614) in order to determine whether this is a temporarycondition caused by, for example, an evasive or passing maneuver, or anintent to change to a “sport” condition. If the former, no change ismade and the process loops back to the start again. However, if thethreshold is met, the widget importance values are modified to imposethe grip-based (e.g., “sport”) widget configuration in the display (Step616) and the modified configuration is then displayed in the instrumentpanel display 200 (Step 612).

Note here that, depending upon the particular implementation, thegrip-based configuration can stay in force for a specified period oftime, until a particular event happens (e.g., shutting off the engine,placing the gear shift in “park” (for an automatic transmissionvehicle), standing still for longer than some specified period of time,change in hand position and/or grip pressure for longer than somespecified period, etc.).

Through adding sensors 502 into and around the instrument panel display200, additional features and more sophisticated variants can beconstructed and deployed, for example, to address circumstances where anobstacle may temporarily block some portion of one or more widgets inthe instrument panel display 200. An example variants incorporating thisaspect will now be described bearing in mind that this variant can beimplemented by itself or in combination with the foregoing approaches.

With this variant, in overview, the system will use sensors 502 inand/or around the instrument panel display 200 and/or dashboard todetermine the drivers eye positions to identify when any obstacle isbetween the drivers eyes and any widget(s) displayed in the instrumentpanel display 200 and, if the widget has a high importance, move it toan unblocked region of the instrument panel display 200.

To accomplish this, the system would use the sensors 502 to map out thelocation and distance of an object from the dashboard and the driver'seyes using, for example, camera(s) and/or infrared, as well as performpupil tracking and/or and facial recognition (using known techniques).Such obstacles may include, for example, the steering wheel rim, objectsplaced on the steering wheel or within the binnacle area or somewhereelse between the line of sight of the driver and any widget(s). If thesystem determines that an obstacle is in the way of a particulardashboard widget (like the speedometer or fuel gauge) based upon, forexample, the steering wheel location or steering column tilt obtainedusing, for example, a camera's view from the instrument panel display totowards the driver, an infrared distance sensor, etc., the system wouldmove that widget to a new location for the duration of the existence ofthe obstruction. Depending upon the circumstances and implementation,this could also involve shrinking one or more unblocked widgets to makeroom for the blocked widget, moving one or more unblocked widgets oflesser importance to a new location, or even removal of one or moreunblocked widgets from the display entirely.

Advantageously, to the extent a secondary display is available, forexample, in a part of the center console or other part of the dashboard,a significant obstruction could result in the system moving orduplicating the blocked widget(s) in the secondary display.

The sensors 502 (camera, infrared, or similar) are located in keylocations throughout the dashboard and/or instrument panel display.Typically, but not necessarily there would be at least one sensor eitherfor each dashboard widget (gas, speed, rpm, oil pressure, etc) or foreach display slot. The sensors are used to determine where the driveris, their angle of view, distance and focus of attention. The sensors502 will also detect the presence and location of, for example, part ofa steering wheel or other objects between the driver and instrumentpanel display.

If the system determines that a direct line of sight between anyimportant widgets and the driver is blocked by an obstruction, thesystem will move the blocked widget to a new location that remainsobstruction free and will adjust or remove other lower importancewidgets as necessary to accomplish this.

This operation will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7-9.

FIG. 7 illustrates, in simplified form, a driver's perspective of anexample of a vehicle dashboard and instrument panel display 200 of asystem implementing a widget obstruction avoidance approach as describedherein. As shown, the instrument panel display 200 includes multiplesensors 502 and displays several widgets implementing different gaugesand information provision elements in the instrument panel display 200,specifically, a speedometer 202 b, a fuel gauge 204, a tachometer 210 a,an odometer 206 a and a radio station indicator 208. As shown, theposition of the steering wheel 402 is such that none of the widgets areobstructed.

However, presume that the driver then adjusts the steering wheel 402upwards.

FIG. 8 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display 200 of FIG. 7 after the steering wheel 402has been moved up. As can be seen, a portion 802 (identified by angledhatching) of the steering wheel 402 now fully obstructs the widget 204for the fuel gauge from the driver's view and also obstructs asubstantial portion of the widget 206 a for the odometer and widget 210a for the tachometer from the driver as well.

Using the sensors 502, the system detects that there is an obstructionbetween the driver's eyes and certain gauges. As a result, the systemmodifies the importance values for the fully/partially blocked widgets204, 206 a, 210 a and thereby makes modifications necessary to providean unobstructed view of those widgets to the driver.

FIG. 9 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboardand instrument panel display 200 of FIG. 8 resulting from the change inimportance values. As shown in FIG. 9, due to it having a lowimportance, the radio widget 208 (shown in FIG. 7) has been removed andreplaced with the previously fully obstructed fuel gauge 204. Inaddition, the widgets for the odometer 206 a and tachometer 210 a havebeen shrunk so that now the driver has a substantially unobstructed viewof them.

The same approach can be used for temporary obstructions as well. Thus,presume that the configuration of FIG. 7 is in place, but in addition tomoving the steering wheel 402 up, the driver places their cell phone1002 on the dashboard, for example, to use it for GPS navigation. FIG.10 illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboard andinstrument panel display 200 of FIG. 7 immediately after the driver hasmoved the steering wheel 402 and placed their cell phone 1002 on thedashboard. As shown in FIG. 10, only the widget 208 for the radioinformation is entirely unobstructed.

As before, the system will detect, via the sensors 502 that multiplewidgets are obstructed and will modify their importance values such thatthe highest importance value widgets are displayed. As a result, thewidget 204 for the fuel gauge remains in place as is, the widget 202 cfor the speedometer is shrunk down and moved, and the widget 210 a forthe tachometer is moved to an unobstructed location based upon theirimportance values.

Had this been the only display, that would be the end until at least theobstructing cell phone 1002 was removed. Advantageously, with somevariant implementations, if there is a secondary display, for example,located in the center console area that is accessible to the system,lower priority widgets can be moved there.

FIG. 11 illustrates, in simplified form, an alternative example avehicle dashboard and instrument panel display 200 identical to that ofFIG. 10 except this vehicle also includes a secondary display 1102. As aresult, as shown in FIG. 11, lower priority widgets for the odometer 206b and radio 208 that were removed from the instrument panel display 200are relocated to the secondary display 1102.

The same approach can be used for more fleeting obstructions. FIG. 12illustrates, in simplified form, the example vehicle dashboard andinstrument panel display 200 of FIG. 7 that is temporarily partiallyobstructed, in this case by the driver's hand 1202 and coffee cup 1204.Advantageously, to avoid annoying or distracting the driver, the systemcan be constructed such that an obstruction must be present for at leasta specified amount of time before changing the widget importance valuesto effect a change in the instrument panel display 200. Thus, if thedriver's hand obstructs part of the display for less than that period oftime, the display will remain unchanged. However, if the driver's andremains in that position for, depending upon implementation variant,longer than a specified period of time or more than a certain percentageof a sliding time-window, the importance values will be changed.Likewise, in the interest of avoiding annoying or distracting the driverthe display will not be changed back until an obstruction no longerexists for some specified period of time. In this way, if the driver isdrinking their coffee, the changing obstruction caused by the back andforth motion of the hand and cup 1202, 1204 between the driver's mouthand the resting place on the steering wheel 402 of FIG. 12 will notresult in a regularly changing display.

FIG. 13 illustrates, in simplified form, a flowchart 1300 of one exampleprocess for implementing the widget obstruction handling process.

The process begins with the system determining, using the sensors 502,obstruction of one or more widgets (Step 1302). Typically on animportance value basis for each obstructed widget, the system will thenidentify whether any areas of the instrument panel display are notobstructed (Step 1304). If there are any unobstructed areas, the systemdetermines whether the widget(s) will fit in the unobstructed area (Step1306).

If the widget will directly fit in the unobstructed area, it is moved tothe unobstructed area (Step 1308). If the widget can be shrunk to fit inthe unobstructed area (Step 1312) the widget will be shrunk (Step 1314)and then moved to the unobstructed area (Step 1308).

If, however, the widget cannot be shrunk to fit in the unobstructedarea, the system checks to see if there is an unobstructed lowerimportance value widget in the display (i.e., one that can be replacedto make room) (Step 1316). If there is such a lower importance widget,the lower importance widget is removed (Step 1318) and the obstructedwidget (full size or shrunken as necessary) is inserted in the displayin its place (Step 1308).

Following Step 1308, the system will check if a lower importance valuewidget was removed (Step 1310) and, if not, the process returns to thestart. If either, as a result of Step 1304, Step 1310 or Step 1316, asecondary display 1102 is present, the system will determine if theremoved widget can be moved to the secondary display 1102 (Step 1320).If there is no secondary display 1102, then the process returns to thestart. If there is a secondary display to which the widget of interestcan be moved, the widget is moved to that secondary display 1102 (Step1322).

Having described various examples from the user perspective, theconfiguration of the system will now be discussed with reference to FIG.14 and FIG. 15.

FIG. 14 illustrates, in simplified form, an in-vehicle system 1400implementing the operation and processes of any of the variantsdescribed herein.

As shown in FIG. 14, the system 1400 is located in a vehicle 1402 and ismade up of multiple sensors (S1, S2, S3, . . . , Sn) 1404, 502, that arefed to a processing system 1406. Such sensors may include, for example,infrared sensors, camera(s), pressure sensor(s) in the steering wheel,door sensors, charging system sensors, batter sensors, tire sensors,vehicle speed sensors, engine RPM and temperature sensors, tiretemperature and/or pressure sensors, brake sensors chassis sensors,coolant temperature and level sensors, exterior temperature sensors,transmission sensors, wheel slip sensors, rain or other weather sensors,sensors that receive GPS and/or traffic information, vehicleacceleration and/or orientation sensors, etc., and more particularly,each sensor may be an infrared sensor, a camera, an inductive pressuresensor, a capacitive pressure sensor, an engine speed sensor, a sensorfor coolant level, a coolant temperature sensor, an oil temperaturesensor, an oil level sensor, a throttle position sensor, an ammeter, avoltmeter, a vehicle speed sensor, a tire inflation pressure sensor, awheel slip sensor, a steering angle sensor, a steering torque sensor, asuspension travel sensor, a fuel tank content level sensor, a tractioncontrol sensor, a thermometer, a microphone, a multi-axis sensor, andaccelerometer, a gas sensor.

The processing system 1406 is made up of a set of sensor output handlingunits P(S1), P(S2), P(S3), . . . , P(Sn) 1408 that are implemented inhardware and/or software and operate to functionally receive the outputfrom certain sensors, if needed, to convert, scale and/or manipulate theoutput of any sensors 1404, 502 into a form that can be used by aprocessor to make the determinations as described herein.

Depending upon the particular implementation variant, the function of asensor output handling unit 1408 can be part of the sensor itself, suchthat the sensor outputs data that is directly usable by a processor, orone or more separate units that receive the output directly from thesensors 1404, 502 and operate on that output, or implemented by one ormore processor(s) 1410 within the processing system 1406. Likewise,since many vehicles already incorporate such sensors and processor(s) toprocess the sensor output in order to provide failure warnings, theoperation of the sensor output handling units P(S1), P(S2), P(S3), . . ., P(Sn) 1408 can be integrated, in whole or part, into that equipment.

The processor(s) 1410 implement the functions described herein, eitherseparately or in conjunction with the CPU(s) and hardware of the vehiclethat would otherwise handle display of the instruments in the graphicaldisplay of the instrument panel in the conventional manner. As shown inFIG. 14, the processor(s) 1410 operate under software control toimplement the conventional vehicle instrument display functions as wellas handle instrument widget prioritization and layout handling accordingto one or more of the variants described herein and cause them to bedisplayed on the instrument panel display 200 (and optionally anappropriate secondary display 1102, if available).

More particularly, the processor(s) 1410, receive information and/ordata from the sensors and, based upon the information and/or data fromtwo or more of the sensors, determine whether conditions then exist thatmay lead to a fault or that the driver should be made aware of such thatthey can monitor the situation before a fault exists, modify theirdriving to avoid a possible future fault, or be aware of conditions(that they might otherwise be unaware of) that may adversely affect thevehicle or its operation.

The processing system further includes storage 1412, which is comprisedof, for example, RAM, ROM, non-volatile program and data storage, etc.Specifically, the storage 1412 includes non-volatile storage whereinstrument-implementing widget-related data 1414 is stored and may alsoinclude non-transitory storage of at least the importance values forthose instrument-implementing widgets. Alternatively, the widgetimportance values may be stored in RAM in a non-transitory manner,meaning that the importance values are present for at least as long asthe vehicle is running and/or power is provided to that part of thestorage.

Programming within the program storage causes the processor(s) 1410 toanalyze data from the various sensor(s) 1404, 502 and makedeterminations based upon combinations of that data that a circumstancewarrants changing the importance of one or more widgets and which mayresult in modification of the presence, location and/or size of thewidgets contained within the instrument panel display 200, for example,a combination of sensors that determine that the vehicle is goinguphill, under high engine revolutions in low gear under hot temperatureconditions to preemptively indicate that possible overheating couldresult, as described above.

FIG. 15 illustrates, in simplified form, an enlarged portion of thesystem of FIG. 14.

As shown in FIG. 15, the widget-related data 1414 is made up of widgetspecific information 1502 for each widget W1, W2, W3, . . . , W11, W12,. . . , Wn−2, Wn−1, Wn, for example, the program code for implementingeach widget, alternative shaped/sized versions of the same widget and/orscaling limits for that widget. In addition, the widget specificinformation 1502 for each widget W1, W2, W3, . . . , W11, W12, . . . ,Wn−2, Wn−1, Wn will also include an importance value 1504 and, if andwhen appropriate or desired, one or more prior or default importancevalues 1506, that can be used in some circumstance(s), for example, torevert back to an immediately preceding importance value and/or impose aparticular configuration through use of an established set of importancevalues for particular widgets as described herein.

The widget specific information 1502 and importance values 1504 (andoptional other importance values 1506) are accessible to theprocessor(s) 1410 and, in the case of at least the importance values1504, can be modified by the processor(s) 1410 to effect the changes inlocations as described herein.

In addition, some variants of the widget-related data 1414 can includemapping of importance values and locations within the instrument paneldisplay 200 to establish where a particular importance value shouldcause a widget to appear in the instrument panel display 200 withoutregard to any other widget. Other variants can use other straightforwardapproaches to establish a relationship between importance value andinstrument panel display location.

Finally, it is to be noted that “importance value” is to be understoodto be a relative term that is used to establish some relationship amongthe various widgets and should not be interpreted as requiring anyparticular scheme. For example, in one example implementation, animportance value of “7” for a widget might indicate greater importancethan an importance value of “9” for a different widget, whereas, for analternative example implementation, the reverse could be true. Likewise,the importance value does not require use of numbers, only some schemewhereby one value can be recognized as greater than another. Forexample, an arbitrary scheme in which an importance value of a character“&” renders one widget more important than another widget with animportance value of “Rq” or vice versa is equally acceptable, the keybeing establishing the importance relationship among the widgets thatcan be displayed in the instrument panel display, not the particularcharacter(s)/numbers used to do so.

Having described and illustrated the principles of this application byreference to one or more example embodiments, it should be apparent thatthe embodiment(s) may be modified in arrangement and detail withoutdeparting from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intendedthat the application be construed as including all such modificationsand variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of thesubject matter disclosed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable,vehicle instrument display method performed within a vehicle having aninstrument panel display that displays digital representations ofgauges, using widgets, in lieu of physical gauges, the methodcomprising: continuously sensing, using at least one sensor, for achange in gripping force exerted by a driver on a steering wheel of thevehicle by a driver operating the vehicle; determining, using at leastone processor in the vehicle, that the change in gripping force by thedriver has occurred based upon a detecting of an increased grip forceexerted on the at least one sensor within a window of time; based upon aresult of the determining, automatically modifying at least one ofpresence, position, size and/or location of at least one widget in theinstrument panel display from a current set of widgets displayed withinthe instrument panel display to a set of widgets representing a set ofsport gauges, wherein each of the widgets has associated with it animportance value, maintained in non-transitory storage, thatestablishes, relative to every other widget, a widget's presence andposition within the instrument panel display, wherein the change fromthe current set of widgets to the set of widgets representing the set ofsport gauges is effected by modifying importance values of the currentset of widgets and the set of widgets representing the sport gauges. 2.The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument displaymethod of claim 1, wherein the continuously sensing comprises: sensingfor a change in hand position by the driver from a leisure grippingposition to a sport gripping position at a pressure in excess of apre-specified threshold.
 3. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable,vehicle instrument display method of claim 2, wherein the detecting ofan increased grip force exerted on the at least one sensor within awindow of time comprises: sampling grip pressures within the window oftime, and averaging the samples grip pressures.
 4. The adaptive,automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method of claim1, wherein the continuously sensing further comprises: sensing, usingsensors located in or near the instrument panel display, for a driversquinting and/or lean-in condition.
 5. The adaptive,automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method of claim4, when the driver squinting and/or lean-in condition is sensed, themethod further comprises: using a pupil tracking technique implementedby the at least one processor, identifying a particular widget displayedin the instrument panel display to which driver squinting and/or lean-inis directed; and automatically temporarily enlarging the particularwidget in the instrument panel display.
 6. An adaptive,automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display systemcomprising: multiple sensors placed within the vehicle; at least oneprocessor within the vehicle; an instrument panel display within thevehicle and coupled to the at least one processor, the instrument paneldisplay interoperating with the at least one processor to displaywidgets as digital representations of gauges within the instrument paneldisplay, each of the widgets having associated therewith at least oneimportance value that is used to establish at least presence andplacement of widgets within the instrument panel display, based upontheir respective importance values relative to all other widgets'importance values, and effect a change in one or more of presence orplacement within the instrument panel display based upon changes in anyof the importance values; the multiple sensors interoperating with theat least one processor to detect a specified physical action of a driveroperating the vehicle such that, when the specified physical action ofthe driver is detected, the processor will cause a change toautomatically be made with respect to at least one importance valueassociated with at least one widget in the instrument panel display and,depending upon the at least one importance value relative to all otherimportance values associated with other widgets, automatically, andwithout further driver action, modify placement of the at least onewidget relative to at least one other widget in the instrument paneldisplay.
 7. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicleinstrument display system of claim 6 wherein the multiple sensorscomprise: at least one grip sensor in a steering wheel of the vehiclepositioned near each of a 3 o'clock position and a 9 o'clock position;and wherein, the at least one grip sensor interoperates with the atleast one processor to detect when the driver has changed from a relaxedgrip to a tight grip, as indicated by measurement of grip pressureexceeding a specified threshold for at least some specified period oftime.
 8. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrumentsystem of claim 6 wherein the at least one grip sensor is a capacitivegrip sensor.
 9. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicleinstrument system of claim 6 wherein the at least one grip sensor is aninductive grip sensor.
 10. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable,vehicle instrument display system of claim 6 wherein the multiplesensors comprise: at least one camera directed from the instrument paneldisplay towards an area where a driver's head would be positioned. 11.The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument displaysystem of claim 10 further comprising: programming to cause theprocessor and camera to effect tracking of a driver's pupils to identifya particular widget to which a driver's attention is directed.
 12. Theadaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument displaysystem of claim 6 wherein the multiple sensors comprise: at least oneinfrared sensor, directed from the instrument panel display towards anarea where a driver's head would be positioned, usable to detect arelative change in distance between the driver's head and the instrumentpanel display.
 13. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicleinstrument display system of claim 12 wherein the multiple sensorsfurther comprise: at least one camera directed from the instrument paneldisplay towards the area where the driver's head would be positioned.14. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrumentdisplay system of claim 13 further comprising: programming to cause theprocessor and camera to effect tracking of a driver's pupils to identifya particular widget to which the driver's attention is directed.
 15. Theadaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument displaysystem of claim 6 further comprising: a predefined sport configurationof widgets that will be imposed, based upon at least one changeautomatically made to at least one importance value associated with atleast one widget when the specified physical action of the driver isdetected, the specified physical action comprising a change in gripforce exerted by the driver on at least one grip sensor within thesteering wheel that, on average within a time window, exceeds aspecified threshold.
 16. The adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable,vehicle instrument display system of claim 6 further comprising:non-volatile storage, accessible by the at least one processor,containing defined locations that store and maintain at least onecurrent importance value and at least one prior importance value foreach of the widgets displayable as the digital representations of thegauges within the instrument panel display.